Afghans want inclusive govt, women’s rights: Karzai

KABUL: Former president Hamid Karzai has said that the formation of an inclusive government and respecting the rights of women is the will of the Afghans, not only the international community.

In a special interview, Karzai told the media that he and Abdullah Abdullah, former chairman of the high council for national reconciliation, in a letter to the Islamic Emirate called for political reconciliation process and meetings with the political leaders over holding a Loya Jirga (National Assembly) to pave the way for a clear destiny of the country.

The former president suggested that the Afghans must find a solution to the existing conditions of the country instead of waiting for foreigners’ proposals. “We offered a process of political and national engagement with some of the Afghan politicians— with women, and men of Afghanistan—a summit, in which the Afghan women are also present and eventually a national process for holding the Loya Jirga (national assembly) which is our national and historic tradition,” he said. The Islamic Emirate said that it has been trying to pave the ground for intra-Afghan talks.

“The Islamic Emirate is attempting to pave the way for further negotiations among the Afghans to find a good solution for some of the issues which concerns the Afghans and international community,” said Inamullah Samangani, deputy spokesman for the Islamic Emirate. The formation of an inclusive government and ensuring human rights and women’s rights are the preconditions of the international community to consider recognition of the current Afghan government.

“If the world wants it or not? if the UN calls on the Afghans or not? If the UN calls on the caretaker government or not? This is first the will of the Afghans to have an inclusive and national government which represents all and ensures the rights of women and their role in the society and girl’s access to education. These are our fundamentals and they should be,” Karzai said. Karzai also criticized the process of distribution of aid to the people in the country.

“If the aid provided to Afghanistan by the international community is not distributed through the Afghan government departments, and the NGOs, UN and other foreigners are in direct contact with the people, then it is the start of ... the end of the government in Afghanistan,” Karzai said. This comes as the US special envoy to Afghanistan, Thomas West also stressed that the Islamic Emirate needs to conduct genuine consultation with leadership across the country over the establishment of the coming government in Afghanistan.